October 31, 2011

As the day of witches, ghosts and goblins is upon us, I wish you to eat an over-abundance of candy corn and chocolate goodies, down that entire package of ghost peeps and burn some delicious pumpkin candles to keep you festive. I am seriously in love with two delicious pumpkin candles, neither of which is being discontinued after Halloween so you can still run out and purchase them to enjoy through Thanksgiving. BBW has a Creamy Pumpkin candle and a Pumpkin Caramel Latte Candle - both are spectacular, scent an entire room and will make your guests excidedly wonder what you're burning that smells so delicious.

October 28, 2011

Okay, I admit it. I love glitter nail polish. I love it so much more than I even did when I was a thirteen year-old kid just starting to wear nail polish. I don't know why, but it just makes me happy. I mainly wear it on my toes (because who doesn't like to see some glittery feet in sandals) but every once in awhile I wear it on my fingers too, especially around the holidays. Which is why I'm totally using my Sephora Friends & Family discount to buy this Four Piece Full Size Nail Colour Set. The four shades - Only Gold for Me, Be-Clause I Said So, Are You Glistenin'? and Sparktacular - are SO pretty, but sadly, only available online which is kind of annoying because I'd rather just pick them up at my Sephora this weekend. But still - for only $28 for all four, it's a great deal and totally worth it. I'll be glittering straight through New Years Eve!

I'm usually kind of wary of celebrity scents. It kind of seems like these days, you don't even really have to be "famous" to have one. (And yes, I know I sound like a grumpy old man, but still. It's annoying! People should have to achieve something to make their own fragrance! It's a privilege, not a right!) But since Taylor Swift's definitely done some major things in her life, especially for the fact that she's like, twelve, I can definitely get behind her having one. Especially after I smelled Wonderstruck and discovered that it's something I would definitely wear. (I know! Color me shocked!) The notes in it are Freesia, Green Tea, Apple Blossom, Raspberry and Dewberry, all of which combine to make a sweet, fruity scent. It's just really feminine and pretty, something I'd wear to work, but also out at night. And I kinda love the bottle too. It would look so cute on a dresser or in a bathroom. I've only used a sample I got at Sephora so far, but I'm seriously considering going back and buying a bottle and if you could see how many perfumes I already have, you'd know that that's a big deal. Do you think if I buy it I'll suddenly get all motivated like Taylor and do forty-seven different things every day and make all my dreams come true? Because if so, sign me up!

October 27, 2011

I think I have tried every single primer on the market (okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but I've definitely tried a lot) and I have found that L'Oreal's Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base is actually one of the best. Who knew a drugstore primer could knock out some of my top-tiered ones?! This stuff is inexpensive (base one), you can always find a coupon for it (base two), really smooths out the skin beautifully (base three) and has incredible staying power (homerun). I can't even begin to tell you how much longer my foundation has lasted because of this little glass pot of goodness and how smooth my face feels after using it. I love the texture (so incredibly silky) and there's no smell (and I've had no irritation with my sensitive skin whatsoever). This is a definite must-have and at drugstore prices, it's a definite no-brainer as far as I'm concerned.

October 26, 2011

GWP's are seriously my downfall. Because who doesn't want to buy something they like, then get a whole bunch of extra stuff too? It's like God is rewarding you for shopping and that makes me very happy. Right now, there's a great GWP going on at Nordstrom.com. If you spend $100 on Cosmetics and Fine Fragrances, you'll get a black mini carry-all stuffed with samples, and if you spend over $125, you'll also get a Lancome 3-piece set. Here's what's in the black mini carry-all:

Arcona Gentle Solution Treatment

Balenciaga Paris Glass Vial

Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Flawless Definition Curl & Lengthen

Cashmere Mist Whipped Perfume packettes

Caudalie Premier Cru' Cream

Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream

Clinique Quickliner for Eyes in Black

Elie Saab Mini VOC in Box

Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment

Laura Mercier Deluxe Primer

Living Proof 'Full' Body Boosting Thickening Cream for All Hair Types

Mario Badescu Seaweed Night Cream

MOR Sachets of Black Currant Iris

Philosophy the microdelivery exfoliating wash

The offer's good right now and lasts until October 31st (or while supplies last). You can also follow @nordstrombeauty for tips and tricks and "Sample Saturday" tweets, where they offer a sneak peek of the premium deluxe sample offered that day.

Blush is kind of my least favorite makeup item to buy. I don't know why - it's just kind of... boring to me. But I love this new Danmari All About Cheeks Palette from NARS. It has six different cheek colors in it -Hungry Heart (a gold ivory), Super Orgasm (a peachy pink with gold glitter), Desire (a cotton candy pink), Casino (a dark brown with golden shimmer), Orgasm (a peachy pink with golden shimmer), and Sin (a berry with gold shimmer). It's a little pricey at $65, but I feel like if I had it, I could just pack this one palette when I traveled and not think about blush again for the whole trip. (Plus there's that whole Sephora Friends & Family coupon that I'm still holding onto because I just can't decide what to use it on). This palette is definitely a contender for it...

October 25, 2011

In my last jaunt to BBW (it's shocking how much great stuff they have now), I bought the S'mores candle because, well, I love the treat. This candle smells incredible (just like if I was making S'mores over a fire pit) and fills the whole house after just a few minutes of lighting it. I would like to pretend that the delicious smell satisfied my sweet tooth but I actually went ahead to Ralphs and bought stuff to make S'mores... in the microwave... as nature intended. Hey, it could've been worse! I could've bought the cake candle and then devoured a whole vanilla cake. Well justified?!

Pixi Beauty (who make the most killer long-wearing, silky eyeliner) have just released a three pack of their magnificent Endless Silky Eye Pen liners! I, for one, am super excited to only spend $12.00 and get three awesome colors (deep black, deep lilac and deep brown) in a formula I know I love. The liners go on smoothly, last a seriously long time and are an uber-bargain. This little set would be the absolute best stocking stuffer (yeah, yeah, we need to start thinking about the holidays...)

Note: A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Pixi

October 24, 2011

I'm so nail polished obsessed lately and I'm totally coveting this new Manhattan Minis Collection from SEPHORA by OPI. It's not in stores yet (or at least, it's not in any of the stores I've been to) and usually I like to see polish shades in person before I buy them, but I'm considering just using my Friends & Family code to order this set without laying eyes on it first because I love the colors and the shade names so much. Here are the six shades in the collection:

The Sparkle That Never Sleeps

Never Know 'Til You Tri-beca

What's Brooklyn Good Lookin'?

I'm on the List

Say It Ain't So-ho

Stand By Your Man-hattan

So fun, right? And I love mini bottles because they're so much easier to travel with or take to the salon. At $22 (or even less with the coupon) this will so be mine as soon as possible. My New York City loving self demands it!

Oh my gosh, you guys, when I was little, I loved Miss Piggy so much. I totally watched "The Muppets" all the time, so the fact that MAC has a new Miss Piggy collection out makes me love them even more than I already did. Can you imagine any other brand doing a collection with a Muppet?! So, so awesome. As is the fact that they credit her with being an "Icon. Actress. Supermodel. Chanteuse. Muse. Frog-o-phile. Cinema and television superstar nonpareil." Fabulous!

I kind of like that it's a really small offering of products too. I mean, I love their big collections as much as the next girl, but sometimes they can get really overwhelming, so a few choices products is a nice change.

There are three items in the collection:

Eye Shadow ($15) - Miss Piggy Pink - Mid-tone blue pink (frost)

Penultimate Eye Liner ($17.50) - Rapidblack - True Black

Lash ($15) - 36 - Full lash that creates a naturally dramatic look

The Miss Piggy Collection will be available exclusively on maccosmetics.com on November 14th.